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1367 sats \ 6 replies \ @elvismercury 4h \ on: The part of Bitcoin you *have* to trust bitcoin
This is the biggest thing missing from almost every discussion of btc, in my opinion -- what it means for it to succeed or fail, the various moves the state could make, what might happen as a result, and how we could tell, empirically, if it were happening.
My take is that most bitcoiners are operating under cartoonish assumptions about this, mainly from having never really thought critically about any of it and having instead incorporated the btc talking points as a matter of religion. The tell of this way of being are the grandstanding critiques of the existing systems, including prophecies about its ultimate fate, without actually understanding anything about it aside from what you've half-assedly absorbed from bitcoin podcasts.
A fun exercise is to tune in to media from the Hated Other and listen to how they make sense of the world. Feel the outrage rise up in you, all the but actuallys you swallow, or maybe don't swallow. And then realize that you're doing the same thing as they are. If you doubt that you're doing the same thing, ask some friends (or former friends) about what they think about your hot takes about their ideologies. Whether you're representing them fairly, in a way they'd endorse. Oops.
This behavior isn't unqique to bitcoiners, of course, although I used to expect better of them.
There’s also an excluded middle issue. Even when your critics are stupid and misinformed, there still might be undiscovered problems with your own position.
I know I often take it as confirmation of my own correctness when I realize someone who’s disagreeing with me can’t actually back up their position, but strictly speaking that isn’t the implication.
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I know I often take it as confirmation of my own correctness when I realize someone who’s disagreeing with me can’t actually back up their position, but strictly speaking that isn’t the implication.
Ugh, this is one I have to fight against really hard, in all aspects of life: demolish somebody's stupid critique, demolish their rebuttal of my demolition, feel more sure than I did before. How sure should you feel about your skills when you can beat a child? And yet there's this giant desire for it.
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Not govs will kill Bitcoin, but dumb and scared people. Blind compliance and statism is what will kill Bitcoin.
Remember the key word: COMPLIANCE
Many of today's people calling themselves bitcoiners, will drop BTC in a blink of an eye, when a gov will say that will not receive anymore money if they do not use some bullshit token or CBDC.
Today's people are so fucking cowards and totally brainwashed. Very few will stand their ground and say a firm NO, no matter what. Many will come with all kind of excuses but none will want to make any sacrifice.
We are writing a shit ton of articles, guides, documentation, podcasts, debates etc... all for nothing. People still go and use fiat and obey the gov orders.
So no... Bitcoin will not thrive, will not even get used mainstream until people will stop believing in gov authority.
Until then, Bitcoin will be just an underground economy, only for the brave.
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One of my big “aha moments” was thinking about how few weirdos like yourself, scattered all around the world, are actually needed to keep bitcoin going.
It can survive much more than its enemies can because it’s almost impossible to hunt all of you down.
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I am already using bitcoin at daily basis, but underground, in economies that are only p2p, where people don't give a fuck about any gov.
But yes, I made a lot of sacrifices and I will make even more, just to keep this life.
And we just live a simple normal life.
And that will not be taken by anybody from me. I will be the last man on earth using bitcoin.
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It’s as unstoppable as anything involving mortal beings, as far as I can tell.
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